The Blind Side: A Story About the Race

An emotionally captivating story of an impoverished African-American teenager, Michael Oher(Quinton Aaron), who is isolated and deprecated by society until one day he is adopted by a well-off Caucasian family, the Touhys, that turns his world around by providing him with food, shelter, and love, eventually leading to his uprisal into a remarkable All American football player and first round NFL draft pick: The Blind Side. However, is it possible that the film could have actually blindsided all of us from the truth?

On reflection, I think it’s easy to say that for those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet, you should know that If you transcend and look past all that blatant political correctness you might be able to uncover the ethnocentric portrayal of the African-American society. It makes you wonder how such an inspiring film can hide quite a few controversial issues.

Perhaps, nothing explains this better than Michael’s voiceless, docile nature towards Leigh Ann(Sandra Bullock) and all other white people, portraying the overtly racist relationship between a white person and a black person: typically the black’s submission to a white supremacist. Not to mention, the depth at which the ‘white savior complex’ is endorsed throughout the movie gives the impression that with Leigh Ann acting as the saving grace, Michael was rescued from the inevitable life of poverty and crime. Aren’t the days of racial stereotyping over yet? Doesn’t this put forth the sense that black people turn to a criminalistic life unless there is someone to lend their white privilege and give them a luxurious life? This theory is once again tested when John Lee Hancock, the director, tries to depict Michael’s roots and background back in Memphis very negatively by labeling all his old friends as gun-toting thugs and his mother as a drug-abusing alcoholic. The vast contrast between the well-mannered Touhys and Michael’s felonious extended family pulls the two worlds further and further apart. What’s more disappointing is that the movie features barely any non-poor African Americans. This renders the viewing audience to fall under the false pretense that most black people can be grouped under such a callous category.

Although the movie is set in the South, where football is a profound sport, once Leigh Ann learns about Michael’s ‘protective instincts’ from the results of an aptitude test, she forces him to fall on the path of football. Does football have to be the predisposed career for a giant black man? Maybe he wanted to be a dancer? Well, now we’ll never know because he wasn’t given the opportunity to speak for himself during the movie.

What’s more ironic is how Tim Mcgraw, who plays the role of Sean Touhy, was cast in the movie in the first place. For starters, Tim Mcgraw has produced several racist songs and albums. His satirical, condescending character in the film fits this description perfectly. How much more racist can a movie be than by directly attaching a racist to it? On top of this, him and his family are praised to be philanthropic and selfless. Now this may be quintessentially true, but in the movie, their ‘adoption’ act can be seen as a means to create the urban underclass in dire need of some charitable help that essentially trademarks a rhetoric of tokenism. This is again highlighted in the scene where Leigh Ann’s white friends patronise her with cynical statements and, towards the end of the scene, with fake compliments. For instance, one woman says, “Does Michael get a family discount in Taco Bell, cause’ if he does, Sean’s gonna lose a few stores.”, while another one of the friends straight up asks Leigh Ann if her decision to take Michael in is “some sort of white guilt thing”. Though Leigh Ann dismisses their crass comments, it makes you question her true intentions. It reaffirms the idea of there actually being a so called ‘white guilt thing’.

Naturally, a viewer’s opinion is substantially influenced by the things they witness in the world around them. We tend to perceive certain things in a certain way because of the manner in which they are handed to us. I thought it was a well-acted, intensely shot, poignant film, don’t get me wrong, but if the media can’t be more open-minded for its audience, then how can we expect any change in our societal values and ideologies? How can we provide an unbiased platform for our future generations to rely on and learn from? We’ve come a long way in the development of the human race. With each step that we have taken, we have progressed in trying to build an imperfect life of equality and a delicate understanding of the people around us. As long as the public isn’t misguided on what is actually happening in the world, we can expect further significant changes in our lives.